Artificial Intelligence Integration in Vocational Education: Implications for Curriculum and Pedagogy in Nigeria

This study investigates the implications of artificial intelligence integration in vocational education for curriculum and pedagogy in Nigeria. Artificial intelligence technologies including adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring, automated assessment, and AI-assisted technical simulation are increasingly penetrating global vocational education systems, creating both opportunities and disruptive challenges. Nigeria's vocational education system must develop a coherent strategic response to AI integration that is contextually grounded, equitable, and pedagogically principled. This study employs a future-oriented mixed-methods design, combining a national Delphi study with 40 AI and VTE expert panellists to map implications and priorities, in-depth interviews with 25 vocational education innovators and international AI education researchers, case studies of three AI-integrated technical programmes in South Africa and Kenya as near-peer comparators, and a critical discourse analysis of Nigerian VTE policy documents for AI readiness. Futures thinking frameworks and educational design research methods structure the analytical approach. Findings are expected to identify high-impact AI integration opportunities, critical equity risks including digital divide amplification and labour displacement, and the pedagogical reorientation needed as AI takes over routine technical instruction tasks. Theoretical contributions include a Nigerian AI-VTE integration readiness framework and a critical curriculum implications model. Practical contributions include policy recommendations for the Federal Ministry of Education and a teacher preparation curriculum for AI-era vocational instruction. Keywords: artificial intelligence, vocational education, curriculum, Nigeria, pedagogy